Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sheepshead topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission hears data showing rising effort and fewer large sheepshead; staff to hold public hearings
Summary
Division staff reported rising directed recreational effort and 2024 landings for sheepshead, along with evidence of size and age truncation (fewer large, older fish). The division will hold public hearings in late October/early November and aims for management implementation in 2026.
Division biologist Anne Markwith presented an issue paper summarizing sheepshead life history, survey indices, recreational and commercial landings and length/age composition. She told commissioners that directed recreational trips doubled after 2020 and that 2024 recreational landings (about 1,420,000 pounds) were the highest since management began.
Markwith highlighted concerns about size and age truncation: most landings from 2016–2024 were fish 16 inches or less and age‑structure samples show a small proportion of older fish compared with historical samples. She explained survey biases (gear selectivity) and noted potential drivers including increased targeting of near‑shore structure using modern electronics, changes in fishing behavior, and shifts in commercial gear (more finfish pound nets).
Commissioners raised options staff will include in the forthcoming issue paper and public process: increasing minimum size, adding bag or slot limits, vessel or trip limits, seasonal protections for spawning aggregations, and potential measures addressing technology and targeting. Markwith said the division plans a virtual and in‑person public hearing series in late October and early November and hopes to implement measures in 2026 after required fiscal analyses and public comment.
